Blog: Home Energy Scotland will help you stay warm and well this winter

Are you worried about staying warm and managing your energy costs? Help is at hand from Home Energy Scotland, a free and impartial advice service funded by the Scottish Government.

This has already been a tough year for many of us – more than half of people in Scotland say their energy use increased during lockdown, and 58% are worried about their bills going up. As the nights start drawing in, you might be worried about spending winter in a home which is hard to heat.

Home Energy Scotland’s friendly advisors can help you make the best use of your energy, so your home is warmer and your bills are as low as possible. You might even find you’re eligible for free home improvements like insulation or a new boiler, which will make your home warmer, more comfortable and cheaper to heat.

Make your home cosy with funding from the Scottish Government

June McNamara is 80 and lives in South Lanarkshire. She got a new gas central heating system through Warmer Homes Scotland, a scheme from the Scottish Government which has helped more than 200,000 households in the past five years.

After struggling to keep her flat warm using old storage heaters, Mrs McNamara got an unexpectedly high bill from her energy supplier. She said:

“When I received that bill, I couldn’t believe it. It caused me a lot of sleepless nights. My storage heaters were at least 30 years old and some of them did not work properly. Every day after getting washed, I had to run from my freezing cold bathroom to get dressed in another room.”

Mrs McNamara got in touch with Home Energy Scotland and a specialist Energycarer, Matthew, visited her at home to see what support she needed. Matthew helped Mrs McNamara apply for Warmer Homes Scotland and supported her throughout the installation process.

A delighted Mrs McNamara said:

“I thought the service was excellent. Although a lot of work had to be done, it was a very smooth process and really quick. Matthew was just so lovely and took away a lot of the stress. I don’t think I could have gone ahead with the installation without his help. Now I have a nice warm home – and bathroom! It’s made such a difference to me.”

Take the first step

Call Home Energy Scotland free on 0800 808 2282 for a chat with a friendly advisor. If you prefer, you can get someone to speak to Home Energy Scotland on your behalf, such as a carer, friend or interpreter.

Find out more about support available here: https://www.homeenergyscotland.org/ 

This is a guest article which featured in Age Scotland's Autumn/Winter edition of Advantage magazine.